Paul Goldsmith, National’s Minister for Injustice,(pictured) is the architect of an anti-democratic bill currently going through parliament.
Here’s why - together with my appeal to you to sign the petition at the bottom of this post.
In 2024, iwi leader and activist Mike Smith was granted permission by the Supreme Court to sue Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, Genesis Energy Ltd, Dairy Holdings Ltd,, New Zealand Steel Ltd, Z Eneregy Ltd, Channel Infrastructure Ltd, and BT Mining Ltd.
Mike is an elder of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu, and a climate change spokesperson for the Iwi Chairs Forum, a national forum of tribal leaders. In August 2019, he filed a statement of claim in the High Court against the seven respondents, arguing the companies, which collectively contributed about a third of New Zealand’s emissions, had a legal duty to him and others in communities that are being damaged by the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
But Minister for Injustice Paul Goldsmith (pictured above ) is stopping the potential landmark High Court case in its tracks, by announcing a bill that would amend climate laws to prevent companies from being sued over damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Why ?
It was “creating uncertainty in business confidence and investments that the government must address” he argues.
In other words Big Business and Big Money told the National leadership to change the law in order to make Mike Smith go away.
Mike’s quite right to call National’s move
“ An affront to democracy.”
Mike Smith was not seeking costs of damages. Instead he was fighting a “public interest case” to establish the companies were liable. They hoped to prompt the companies to take action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Goldsmith’s announcement not only makes a mockery lot our legal system it proves, yet again, that this right - wing National/ACT/NZFirst coalition government doesn’t give a damn about your well-being, or that of your children, grandchildren, your friends and whanau, or that of future generations. What it cares about is servicing the demands of Big Money and Big Business and will do whatever it takes to do so.
I have just signed Mike’s Petition which you can reach by clicking on the link below and I invite you to also do so.
Thank you
Exactly Bryan, if those companies had a defendable argument they would go to court and make a fool of Mike Smith. The corruption by Luxon et al covering it up is another story.
Wow, almost 10,000 people have signed this petition in just five days. That says it all.